True Feelings
Int
"Okay, hmm… Well, here's something I was wondering about. Remember a couple weeks ago when Fury was lecturing you for being late to practice again? He mentioned something about your Uncle Ben. Why did he bring him up? If, you don't mind me asking."
Peter remembered the conversation.
It had been his sixth or seventh time that he was late and Fury was in a bad mood as it was. Instead of just reprimanding him, Fury lectured him on how his irresponsibility was affecting the team and that this isn't what Uncle Ben meant when he said with great power, comes great responsibility. Words that weighed heavy in Peter's heart.
"I don't mind, no. It's… it's a long story. I don't want to keep you here longer than you have to be, Ava."
Ava glanced over at the clock. She got up and walked over to it, stood up on her tippy toes and took it down from the wall. She then placed it flat down on top of the coffee table and sat back down next to Peter.
"Stop mentioning the clock, Peter."
He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Okay then. Well, where do I start? Well, back when I first got my powers, I didn't realize that they were meant for something greater, you know? I just thought 'cool, I've got spider powers!' I didn't stop to think that I should've been using them to help people, to save lives. I was caught up in my own world."
Ava moved closer to Peter, listening closely to his story. She grabbed one of the couch pillows and hugged it in front of her, resting her head on top of it.
"I used my powers to win matches at a wrestling company. It made me easy money so that I can pay for my own stuff, instead of having to ask my aunt and uncle all the time." He continued.
"Well, one night after one of my matches, the cash manager had been robbed and so here comes this dude running with a sack full of cash while the cops chased after him down the hallway."
Peter struggled to re-tell the story, remembering the events that followed.
"Instead of stopping him, I just moved aside. I told the cops that it wasn't my problem, I'm just a fighter. Well, after I left and went home, I found May crying in the kitchen. She told me what had happened, that Uncle Ben had tried to stop a guy from running away with a bunch of money and that the robber had shot him, killing him on the spot."
Tears slowly lined Peter's eyes.
"Of course, I tore apart the city looking for the man who killed him. The cops had cornered him into this warehouse near the water and I got in before they did. When I confronted the guy, I realized that it was the same man that I had let run away back at the wrestling place. If I had just stopped him, then maybe… maybe my uncle would still be here." Peter finished explaining.
"Peter, I… I'm so sorry."
"Don't be, it's fine." He wiped away the tears in his eyes before continuing.
"The last words he ever said to me was 'with great power, comes great responsibility', words that I just ignored at the time, not realizing he was just trying to help me understand who I was, what I was becoming. Fury uses him to lecture me because he knows it'll get me to pay attention."
He took a deep sigh, looking down at the coffee table.
"I just hope I haven't failed or disappointed him. He wanted so much for me."
Ava reached out and placed her palm on top of his hand. He looked back at her and caught her soft brown eyes.
"I think you're doing a great job, Pete. Your Uncle Ben would be very proud of you. Don't doubt that." She assured him whole-heartedly.
This forced him to slightly smile.
"I appreciate the thought, Ava. I'd like to just think that Fury likes to give me a hard time sometimes is all."
"He's good at that." She shrugged. "Can't help you there, Pete."
"Thanks, Ava. For hearing me out, though. The others definitely don't know that about me."
She smiled, lifting her hand off his.
"Thanks for telling me, Pete. Now, it's your turn again."
Peter glanced at the face-down clock.
"Peter, if you look at that clock one more time, I'll claw your eyes out!" She joked.
"Alright, alright, Ava, have it your way!" He snickered.
He thought about what he had asked earlier about what kind of dress she wanted for the dance. This hatched an idea in his head, but he wasn't sure if he was crazy enough yet to go for it.
"So, out of sheer curiosity… which one of the guys do you find the most attractive? Out of the team?"
Her smile quickly died out to a deathly glare.
"Parker, are you serious? I'm not going to answer that!" She snapped.
"Uh-uh, nope! You can't do that, you've got to answer the question, Ava!"
"Parker, please! Come on, ask another question! Don't make me answer that!" She frowned.
"Ava, I'm just curious is all!" He assured her, smiling.
"Well, I'm not answering it, Parker. Next question please!" Ava insisted.
"Is it Sam?"
"Oh God no! Are you high?!"
"Luke?"
"Hell no!"
"Danny?"
"Peter, stop! No!"
"So, it's me?"
"I'm not answering, Parker!"
The blush on her cheeks was a dead give-away.
"Okay, okay, I'll ask something else." He slightly chuckled.
"It's not funny, Parker! W-why do you want to know that? What do you care?"
"I…"
She crossed her arms, demanding an explanation.
"I… don't?"
"Oh, so you don't care? Then why did you ask it?"
"No reason!"
His heart was racing, nervous that she was onto him. She was peeling away the layers and trying to discover the truth behind his question. He worried, most of all, that she wouldn't hold the same truth for him.
She glared at him for a few moments, allowing the rage inside her to die out subtly.
He didn't want to enrage her, that was the last thing he wanted. But, at this point, he knew he had to say something.
"Just, ask your next question, Parker." She spoke first, calming down. "I'll head on home afterwards."
Peter took a deep breath.
"Ava, have you ever… kissed anyone?" He calmly asked.
Her eyes widened at hearing the question. Suddenly, her own nerves had wrapped her. She wasn't ready to answer that sort of question, especially not from Peter.
"I… I don't think I have…" She quietly answered.
"What do you mean you don't think you have, Ava?"
"No, I actually never have, Parker." She admitted.
"I've never been asked out, I've never been asked to a dance, I've never been kissed before! Why do you think I stay away, hmm? I'm not going to waste my time trying to look pretty if nobody's ever going to notice! I'm done trying to chase fairytales! Is there anything else you want to know, Parker?!"
"Ava, I didn't mean…"
She raised her hand to stop him from talking.
"Look, I'm just going to go home. Thanks, Parker."
She started to stand up but Peter softly grabbed her hand.
"Ava, stop, please! I didn't mean to offend you or hurt your feelings in anyway!"
She slowly sat back down.
"Then why ask that, Peter? I know I'm not as pretty as Gwen or MJ. You don't have to keep asking me these kinds of questions to make me feel uglier than I already do!"
"It's because I like you! Ava!" He finally told her.
She seemed stunned for a second, almost as though she didn't fully understand what he had just admitted to her.
"You what?" She softly asked.
"Damn it, Ava. I like you! I've always liked you! I… I care about you!"
His heart was pounding against his chest at this point, nerves out of control, scared of how she would react to all of this.
"You like… me? But… I'm not pretty, I'm not…"
"Just because nobody's asked you out on a date, to the dance, or even asked to kiss you doesn't mean you're not pretty, Ava. It doesn't mean that at all. You're… you're much more amazing than you think you are." He assured her.
"Peter, I…"
He realized that he may have made a mistake in telling her how he felt about her.
"If you don't feel the same, I understand." He sighed.
He began to turn away when she promptly grabbed his shoulder.
"No! Peter, the truth is… I actually really care about you too."
"Y-you do?"
She nodded.
"I was afraid that you wouldn't feel the same, honestly."
"But, I do, Ava. Seriously."
She smiled, raising her left hand to caress his cheek.
"It's my turn to ask the question, isn't it?" She softly asked.
"I think it is."
"Kiss me."
"That's not a question, Ava." Peter pointed out.
"I wasn't asking, Peter."